In Seattle now, man’s goal is 10 cities in 10 years on $20K income

Joseph Fonseca photographed on Oct. 14, 2011, as he strolls the Pike Place Market. Fonseca, a writer, is moving around the country, living in 10 cities in 10 years. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com)

Don’t get too used to having Joseph Fonseca around, Seattle.

He’s here for now, living in a small Belltown apartment and working retail at the Levi’s store downtown. But next year, he’ll be somewhere else — Austin maybe, or some other city he hasn’t tried yet. Who knows.

Every year, there’s a new city. A new apartment. New friends. And a new job, if there’s a job to find.

The goal is 10 cities in 10 years. Seattle is seventh on his list, and Fonseca says he’ll stay through the summer.

When he wraps up his travels with a move to New York in three years, he’ll hunker down and write a book about the project. Fonseca describes his vagabond lifestyle as an art project or sorts, a study in how many stories he can gather from all corners of the country.

The project is inspired in a large part by Jack Kerouac, a writer who famously penned “On the Road” about spontaneous travels in the late 1940s. The book is commonly taught in high school literature classes, but Fonseca said many Americans seem to outgrow the book.

He hasn’t yet.

“Everyone sort of turns on Kerouac,” he said. “Instead of seeing him as a symbol of freedom, they see him as a symbol of idiocy. To me, it’s just important that there’s someone out there who’s still being an idiot like Kerouac.”

Fonseca describes his lifestyle as ill-advised, meaning you shouldn’t try it at home. You couldn’t try it at home – there’s no room for home when you’re constantly on the move.

What there is room for: A couple thousand dollars in savings, a laptop computer and a box of books from the I-can’t-part-with-these shelf.

“I don’t own any furniture,” Fonseca said last week.

Everything in the living room of his small, shared apartment belongs to roommate Brittany Bailey. The couch, the table, the colored vases filled with flowers – all hers.

(Click image for larger view.) Joseph Fonseca photographed on Friday in the apartment where he rents a room. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com)

Fonseca could move out and no one would know he was gone. And in 10 months, he will.

“I was always joking in college that I was going to be homeless for 10 years and write a book about it,” Fonseca said.

Behind every joke, there’s a bit of truth waiting to clobber you on the head.

Fonseca, originally from Kansas, has never held down a job for longer than a year. He survives on roughly $20,000 annually, a fact that recently won him attention in a self-authored Washington Post essay.

“I am a perpetual stranger, moving to a new city every year,” Fonseca wrote. “I’m not a businessman, or an international superstar for that matter. I’m a writer. My average yearly income hovers just north of $20,000 and comes from waiting tables and manning the till at bookstores. I live on little. I plan and I save.”

Then came the criticism. A few readers raged against the merit of the project and labeled Fonseca’s choices irresponsible.

He responded on his blog: “If I get to the end of my 10 years and nobody wants to buy my book and I don’t make it as a writer, well, I’ll be crushed. But it’ll be my defeat, my grand failure, and no one else’s.”

But last week, Fonseca didn’t want to talk about bargain-shopping tips or the price of well drinks at Seattle bars. (“The project is an art project, not a commerce project.”) Instead, he talked about the girlfriends he’s lost along the way. (“I don’t really like long-distance relationships.”) And whether Seattleites are living up to their reputation for being standoffish. (“I don’t know, but I can be a pretty introverted person.”)

Still, he says he couldn’t wait to get out of Kansas after spending 22 years there.

“I love cities,” Fonseca said. “I love tons of people being around.”

So far, his project has included stops in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Chicago and Nashville. He shared photos of each city with seattlepi.com, along with a few thoughts about each city.

Photo: Photo courtesy of Joseph Fonseca /

Image 1of/8

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 8

Charlotte: This was the first city and in many ways it set the pattern for all of them: Find work, adapt to a new life, meet friends, make memories. Not having my own car, I definitely didn't get to experience everything the city had to offer but my little pocket of it provided a fairly assorted mix of acquaintances. less

Charlotte: This was the first city and in many ways it set the pattern for all of them: Find work, adapt to a new life, meet friends, make memories. Not having my own car, I definitely didn't get to ... more

Photo: Photo courtesy of Joseph Fonseca /

Image 2 of 8

Philadelphia: I learned how to truly live on my own here, with no prior connections or experience within this hardened but very diverse city. Though I sometimes felt isolated here, it was during this year that I met many of the writers who changed the course of my project and grew into reliable, long distance friends. less

Philadelphia: I learned how to truly live on my own here, with no prior connections or experience within this hardened but very diverse city. Though I sometimes felt isolated here, it was during this year ... more

Photo: Photo courtesy of Joseph Fonseca

Image 3 of 8

Costa Mesa: I lived with a roommate for the first time in this city and together we spent most of our free time at the beach or the bars, having an unhealthy amount of fun. I had a blast here, but as a year it's definitely the oddball out for the project in that I think of it more in terms of Orange County than as the individual city of Costa Mesa. less

Costa Mesa: I lived with a roommate for the first time in this city and together we spent most of our free time at the beach or the bars, having an unhealthy amount of fun. I had a blast here, but as a year ... more

Photo: Photo courtesy of Joseph Fonseca

Image 4 of 8

San Francisco: This is where the project became the project it is, with the creation of the blog and a fermented dedication to finishing all 10 cities. Financially, this city was the hardest and I'm disappointed by how much of the city I never got to explore because of restricted funds, but it's still one of my favorites and somewhere I would love to revisit. less

San Francisco: This is where the project became the project it is, with the creation of the blog and a fermented dedication to finishing all 10 cities. Financially, this city was the hardest and I'm ... more

Photo: Photo courtesy of Joseph Fonseca /

Image 5 of 8

Chicago: Chicago has everything I look for in a city, with excellent public transportation, stunning architecture, the beautiful lake and great parks, as well as amazing nightlife and food. In my personal life, this year was a struggle, but I was lucky to land a job working with an eclectic and fun group of people that made the year special. less

Chicago: Chicago has everything I look for in a city, with excellent public transportation, stunning architecture, the beautiful lake and great parks, as well as amazing nightlife and food. In my personal ... more

Photo: Photo courtesy of Joseph Fonseca

Image 6 of 8

Nashville: I lived completely on my own for the first time since Philadelphia and in many ways I feel like this year re-energized me. The highlight of this city was meeting so many working musicians, all there to pursue their dream, and watching them perform. Plus, there was a lot of drinking. less

Nashville: I lived completely on my own for the first time since Philadelphia and in many ways I feel like this year re-energized me. The highlight of this city was meeting so many working musicians, all ... more

Photo: Photo courtesy of Joseph Fonseca

Image 7 of 8

Seattle: While it's too early for anything but the most rudimentary impressions, everything I've heard about the city (and seen so far) gives me high hopes for a year of unique experiences. The fun of this project is exploring the city with locals and newbies, alike, so I anticipate meeting new people this year. less

Seattle: While it's too early for anything but the most rudimentary impressions, everything I've heard about the city (and seen so far) gives me high hopes for a year of unique experiences. The fun of this ... more

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO / SEATTLEPI.COM

Image 8 of 8

In Seattle now, man's goal is 10 cities in 10 years on $20K income

1 / 8

Back to Gallery

He’s found out some stereotypes are true; others, not so much. The so-called “Seattle freeze” hasn’t been an issue so far, but he found people in Philadelphia more abrasive than most, and said there’s something to the concept of Southern hospitality.

One time while walking home with grocery bags in Nashville, a woman stopped her car and offered to drive him home. But he also remembers the region struggled with racism. (A coworker at a bookstore in Charlotte was fired for “saying something about the African American literature section,” he said.)

So, what’s next for Fonseca after his 10 years are up? Probably more of the same, though maybe not on such a structured schedule.

“I imagine I will be traveling for the rest of my life,” Fonseca said.

Joseph Fonseca walks through the Pike Place Market on Friday. Seattle is his seventh stop on a 10-city tour. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com)